Road Trippin' (...with my three favorite (?) allies).
Author: Carla, aka cali-chan.
Rating: PG-13.
Genre: General/Romance.
Pairings: Oliver/Lilly, possible Jake/Miley.
Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana, Disney does. Thankfully they don't seem to be doing too horribly with it...
Warnings: Post-series, I guess.
Summary: The summer after graduation, before they have to split up for college, Miley, Lilly and Oliver go on a road trip across the US. Jackson tags along. Craziness and self-revelation ensues.
Note: Please read the author's note at the end. It's important.
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"But dad!"
It wasn't strange to hear such a whine coming out of the Stewart's residence in Malibu, CA. It was odd, however, to hear it at 7 am on a saturday morning.
The living room was piled with suitcases that Robbie Ray was currently trying to dodge as he ran around, trying to avoid his daughter's wrath. "Sorry, bud, that's my last word on this." He looked around at the baggage littering the room, and frowned. "And by the way, you should really pack lighter, sweetheart. With this much luggage, it'll be a miracle if Lilly and Oliver fit in your car, let alone Jackson."
"Well, maybe I'll even add some more, 'cause I don't want Jackson to come!" Miley shot back, arms crossed, and frowning just as much. "Come on, dad! You promised, no chaperones."
"Well, I would hardly call Jackson a chaperone, considering he gets into more trouble than you do," Robbie Ray admitted, thinking of the thousand mishaps his son had caused in their last road trip alone. The boy was like a magnet for all kinds of ridiculous situations. He walked towards his daughter and threw an arm around her shoulders. "Sorry, Miles, but it's a very long trip, and I just want to make sure you have someone there to protect you. Just in case. Just humor me, will ye?"
Miley rolled her eyes. "But dad, it's not like it's going to be just us girls. Oliver will be there, too!"
Robbie threw her a disbelieving look. "Oliver. Really. You want Oliver to defend you from danger?"
The girl opened her mouth to reply, then abruptly stopped to think her words thoroughly-- thankfully the door opening made her long pause a little less noticeable. If she had been speaking at the moment Oliver himself entered the house, it might've been awkward. "Hey, Miley," the boy greeted, dropping the two bags he was carrying onto the couch, being careful not to trip on one of Miley's suitcases. Lilly, who was trailing behind him, greeted her similarly, and left the smaller bag she was carrying on top of the ones Oliver had just put down. Their group was completed by Lilly's mother, who walked in last; she was in the middle of a phone conversation, so she mostly just waved at Miley and her dad as she stepped into the living room.
"Well, hello, lolliepops!" Miley greeted them with a big (really big-- like fake big-- smile). She waded through her suitcases with practiced ease (Robbie wondered at the fact that she didn't have to look down as she walked) and moved closer to her two best friends. "Isn't it a wonderful day for a road trip?" Both the sidekicks were about to answer, as they hadn't quite caught that it was a rhetorical question, when Miley spun around in her place and glared at her father some more. "...NOT!"
Lilly cringed. "Wow, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed," she commented.
Miley rolled her eyes again. "Actually, I didn't. I woke up on the right side of bed for once, on the most comfortable side, and all was well and good until dad arbitrarily decided we have to take Jackson with us!" She added some more glaring, just for good measure.
"Oh, bummer," said Lilly. Oliver shrugged; he wouldn't mind having some male company on the trip, even if it was Jackson. He loved both Lilly and Miley, and loved to hang out with them, but being with two girls and nobody else for almost a month, well, he was bound to drown in all that estrogen.
Robbie shook his head firmly. "I'm not changing my mind on this one, bud."
"But dad!" Miley whined again. "This will set us back like a whole day! I'll have to rearrange everything I had already planned." She looked up as if asking the heavens for patience. "In fact, who knows how many days we'll end up lagging behind; Jackson will probably make us stop to check out the world's biggest ball of yarn or something."
"You're kidding, we're driving by the world's biggest ball of yarn?" Oliver tried to not seem too excited at the prospect, but the way he dove for the map to check their planned route was a dead giveaway. Luckily for him (for Miley was murderous at this point), Lilly grabbed the map off his hands and smacked him over the head with it. "Ow! Well, nevermind. Last time I try to make a suggestion..." he muttered, glaring at his girlfriend while combing his hair back into place.
Robbie threw Miley a look, like saying 'This was your main argument?'
Miley sighed. "Okay, you have a point there," she grudgingly admitted, crossing her arms. "But still!" she added, all righteous indignation. She was this close to stomping a foot down-- if she hadn't been trying to portray herself as a mature adult, she would've done so. "Wasn't it the whole idea of him transferring to Santa Barbara that I wouldn't have to see him all the time?" Robbie glared at her, and she deflated. "Fine, I should love my brother and I'm a horrible human being. But daddy, I'm eighteen now. I can take care of myself. Why won't you trust me on this?"
"Oh, I trust you, bud. I just want you to be safe," Robbie tried to be as sincere as he could. Miley's pout did not seem to be going away. "Please, Mile. It would make your old man feel better."
Miley, seeing that no amount of puppy dog eyes was going to sway her father on this, had to relent. "Fine. But I don't have to like it, okay?" she added, pointing a finger at him just to make sure he got the idea clearly.
Robbie laughed at her and gave her a one-armed hug. "You still gotta do something about your luggage, though," he said, signaling to the many, many suitcases that littered his living room's floor. Miley opened her mouth to reply that those were all necessary items, but at that moment they overheard the conversation Miley's two best friends were having with Lilly's mom a few feet away, and it was definitely more entertaining.
"...so please take care of her, Oliver," she said, waving the hand that held her cellphone at him, so it felt more like she was pointing at him with her phone.
"I will, Mrs. T," Oliver replied dutifully, an arm wrapped around his girlfriend's shoulders. He didn't mind being lectured by Lilly's mom-- she was a cool woman and it was obvious she only did it because she cared. Besides, it wasn't half as scary as when his own mother did it with her "man-voice."
"And please do eat something OTHER than junk food once in a while, you two. Oliver, you know you're especially sensitive to that stuff," she continued, almost as if Oliver's reply had been a passing thought. "Lil, if you're going to drive, please be careful, you never know what kind of crazies run through these highways." Lilly nodded in turn. "Don't go anywhere alone." Another nod. "If you're going to drink, be smart about it." Another nod. "Oh, and always use protection!"
Lilly was halfway through nodding mechanically, when her mother's last phrase registered in her mind. She immediately colored. "Mom! Gosh, did you really need to bring that up?" She took a hand to her eyes in embarrassment.
Oliver quickly grabbed said hand and pulled it down. "We will, Mrs. T."
Lilly glared at him. "Don't egg her on!" she whispered near his ear.
Oliver rolled his eyes. "Don't you know by now that it's easier to just smile and nod?" She stuck her tongue out at him in retaliation.
Heather continued on as if they hadn't said a thing. "And please call me at least once a day to let me know how you're doing, alright, honey?" She pulled Lilly out of Oliver's arms and drew her into a tight hug. "Aw, my baby's going on a cross-country trip," she cooed. She pulled back enough to look her daughter in the eye. "Be careful, alright? And have the time of your life out there."
Lilly smiled at her. "I will. Thanks, mom." She hugged her mother back just as tight. When she pulled back, she grinned mischievously. "Have fun dealing with Matthew all by yourself!"
Heather mock-gasped. "Oh, now, that's just mean!" The three laughed. It was an inside joke among the family that Lilly's terror of a 10-year-old brother was too much of a handful for only one person to handle. "Okay, have fun, guys!" She kissed Lilly's cheek. "You too, Miley!" she said, waving goodbye at the Stewarts as she (again, very carefully) walked out of the house.
Lilly and Oliver turned to Miley as the sound of Lilly's mother's car was heard, rolling away from the driveway. "So, are we ready to go?" Lilly asked.
Miley nodded, bouncing a bit on the tips of her feet. "Sure. We gotta do this quickly, guys, we'll lose enough time driving up to Santa Barbara as it is."
She quickly commandeered the three to help her load the bags into her car... or tried to, at least. So much for being in a hurry; it took them half an hour of trying to reach a point where Miley conceded that she'd have to leave some stuff behind. Then it took them another half an hour for Miley to decide which stuff to leave behind. After much grumbling, she wound up only taking half the original amount of bags (which was still a lot by regular people standards, but it did bug her). Then the requisite warnings were exchanged ("Please don't bring your dates into the house, dad. And make sure you eat something other than sandwiches. Yes, even if you go run a few miles right after!") and they were off.
For about five minutes, that is. Because that's when they realized that carrying so many suitcases up and down had made them very hungry, so they stopped by a McDonald's to grab some brunch. Which was yet another half-hour delay. But then they were off.
"...Miley?" Lilly intervened after a while of watching the scenery, having seen a particular "NEXT EXIT" sign come and go. "Weren't we supposed to turn west on the 101?" She made a mad grab for the map, just to be sure. It didn't bode well for them if they were already getting lost on the first day on the road.
"Yes, we were," said Miley, enunciating every sillable as she smirked. She did not seem particularly concerned that they had missed their exit.
"Wait, we didn't turn west on the 101?" said Oliver from the back seat, sitting up from where he'd been laying, busy playing with a handheld videogame. The thought that they could possibly get lost and end up in Middle-Of-Nowheresville was enough to distract his attention from the pixelly entertainment.
"No, we did not," Miley replied similarly, her tone growing more and more amused by the second, in a way that could only be construed as evil.
"...Why?" wondered Oliver.
"Okay, what is going on here?" Lilly demanded to know.
Oliver leaned to whisper in the blonde's ear. "She's not making a run for the border, is she?" he asked, sounding a little bit anxious. He was sure Mexico was as nice a place as any, but then he'd also heard some things...
Lilly rolled her eyes at him. "Opposite direction, doofus."
Miley took her time answering, as she was, of course, busy smirking too much. "We're ditching Jackson."
Oliver and Lilly looked at her incredulously, then turned to look at each other. "It's your turn to deal with her," Oliver quipped before Lilly could.
The blonde let out a silent "drat!," frustrated that her boyfriend beat her to it. Oliver grinned at her and then laid back down on the back seat, going back to his videogame. Lilly glared at him-- or at his torso, which was the part of him directly in her visual range at the moment. "Fine. Miley," she turned to her brunette friend, who was, by the way, still smirking with a certain maniacal glee shining in her eyes. "Miley... BAD IDEA." She emphasized her point with hand gestures. "You already told your dad you'd go pick Jackson up."
"He won't know," Miley defended.
"You think Jackson won't tell him?" Lilly asked, her tone a bit hard. When Miley got obtuse, it was usually because she was getting desperate. "And pull over, will ya? We're not going anywhere until we discuss this." Miley reluctantly did as told, and Lilly continued on her tirade. "This is your dad we're talking about. He will know. He always knows! And then he'll cut our trip short, or worse. Please, Miley, let's just start this trip with the right foot, alright? Believe me, I'd rather go on this trip with Jackson than not go at all."
Miley almost relented at the pout Lilly was giving her. She knew how excited her best friend was about this particular trip, and she had good reasons to be. In fact, Lilly herself had been the one who had planned most of this. Still, if the condition for this was having Jackson around... she cringed. "Jackson won't really know we ditched him until tonight..."
Her justification for being the quintessential spoiled younger child was interrupted by the ringing of her cellphone. Signaling Lilly that she'd be right with her, she pressed the talk button on her rhinestone-covered phone and put it to her ear. Before she could even say hello, though, the person on the other side of the line intervened. "You're not ditching me."
Miley turned to stare in disbelief at her phone. "How does he do that?" she asked, more to herself than to him, and it made Lilly laugh.
When the conversation with her brother was over, Miley was properly informed that her father was already aware that they were about an hour late on picking him up, and had been relayed Robbie Ray's message that if she so much as thought about ditching Jackson, he'd make sure her application to NYC was rescinded and that she'd end up going to Santa Barbara and having to room with Jackson all over again. The terror of it all was enough to make her rethink her steps, and she dutifully turned back around on the next return exit, Lilly directing her with the map, so they could go pick Jackson up at Santa Barbara.
She didn't have to like it, though, and she let her older brother clearly know this as he took carried his bag out of his dorm room. He rolled her eyes at her glaring. "Look, Miley, I'm not happy about being forced to do this either, alright? But that's life, and we might as well enjoy the good side of it." Miley still glared at his back as he moved to put his bag on the trunk of her car.
"That's what I call a new philosophy," Oliver commented. Normally Jackson would be planning some sort of mischief to get out of having to spend one whole month in close quarters with his sister. Perhaps college life had helped him gain a new outlook on things.
Miley's glare persisted. "The good side of it..." she scoffed. "He's obviously talking about all the food he's going to gorge on. I can already see how gross it'll be." They started moving back towards the car when Jackson yelled at them to move their hineys and get on-- honking all the while.
"Maybe you can push him deep into that ball of yarn and make a run for it. He'll never be able to get out of that," Lilly commented with a laugh.
Miley shrugged, then got on the passenger's seat, picking up the map so she could help her brother navigate. They sped off towards the highway in silence, all thinking of the things they would see and the moments they would share. The comfortable silence, however, was broken by the one question that just begged to be asked:
"Wait, so we really are driving by the world's biggest ball of yarn? Sweet!"
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Author's Note: Okay, you guys, here's the deal... it'll probably take a long while for me to continue this. And before you jump at my throat for this, there are two reasons:
Mainly, because I want to wait and see how season 3 of HM ends, so I can stay "in canon" (my muse has been stuck on canon for all my fandoms lately, sorry), and if I don't, at least be able to come up with some creative reason for things not to be canon-compliant. So I'll probably wait until the season is over to continue this.
Secondly, because I'm not from the United States. I've been there, I lived there for two years, and yet I know nothing of the geography of the country other than the fact that there are 50 states and a general sense of where places are. I can tell you where Florida is and pinpoint a few towns here and there (LOL I could probably recite the layout of Walt Disney World with uncanny ability), I can tell you where Georgia and Texas are, and I can tell you where New York is. I know New Orleans is to the south, and I know Las Vegas is more towards the west... but that's pretty much it. So basically I'm aware I'm well over my head with this plotline, and it'll take me a heck of a lot of research that I don't even have time for to begin with. So please be patient with me here.
I'm sorry if I can't continue this as quickly as you'd like me to. Why did I upload it now, you ask? I just don't want to forget about it (I tend to forget a lot of ideas I really like, I'd type like a paragraph and then the file gets lost on my hard drive-- believe me, the only way I'll remember about it is if I publish it). Please understand and be reassured by my promise that it will be finished someday.
In the meanwhile, please do review. Tell me if you liked it, and even if you didn't, constructive criticism is always well-received. And encouragement to the author goes a long way in making said author get her butt in gear and start the above-mentioned research, haha.